PGA Power Rankings: Top 5 Golfers For The Genesis Invitational

PGA Power Rankings: Top 5 Golfers For The Genesis Invitational

The third Signature Event of the 2024 PGA Tour season is set to get underway from the iconic Riviera Country Club, site of The Genesis Invitational.

Tiger Woods will be making his debut at Riviera, competing at the course where he won his first ever PGA Tour event. Since it's a Signature Event, only players who finished in the FedExCup top 50 last season or who have performed well in the Fall or during this early portion of the 2024 PGA Tour season will be invited to The Genesis Invitational.

PGA handicapper Matt MacKay is back to share his latest insight on the Riviera Country Club course, current outright odds, and how to wager the PGA Tour outright betting market during the 2024 Genesis Invitational.

THE GENESIS INVITATIONAL DATE, START TIME, AND WHERE TO WATCH

• Date: February 15 - 18, 2024
• Where: The Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, California
• Where to Watch: ESPN+, Golf Channel, CBS

THE GENESIS INVITATIONAL COURSE

Challenging players with Kikuyu rough, along with tough par 3 and par 4 hole designs, it's imperative to perform well off-the-tee and approaching the green at Riviera. Errant lies could result in more squares than circles on scorecards.

Riviera is a par 71 track that averages 4.53 on par 5 scoring holes, giving golfer the chance to improve their score if they wind up faltering on the more difficult par 3 and par 4 holes. The course opens up with a par 5 on the first hole, but players will have to grind until hole 11 until they get another par 5 opportunity.

Plenty of sprawling sand bunkers and doglegged fairways will be obstacles for players to overcome off the tee box at Riviera. Ball strikers will be rewarded for their strength and accuracy, which is why we're seeing players like Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, and Collin Morikawa favored in the outright betting market this week.

THE GENESIS INVITATIONAL ODDS

THE GENESIS INVITATIONAL POWER RANKINGS

1. Scottie Scheffler (+650) CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS

There's no reason to fade Scottie Scheffler despite his inability to win an event outright this season. It's still early, and Scheffler was once again amongst the best ball-strikers at the WM Phoenix Open this past weekend, finishing -5-under-par in each of his final three rounds to wind up T3 at -18-under-par. Last week, we were getting Scheffler as the favorite to three-peat at +450, so +650 is a solid investment to make at Genesis, where the Texas native previously finished T12 in 2023.

2. Justin Thomas (+1600) CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS

A shaky start kept Justin Thomas out of serious contention at the WM Phoenix Open. Thomas has been much more clean since the Fall though, ranking 17th in strokes gained on approach and third in strokes gained around the green. If he can clean up his 129th-ranked putter, his ability to start nicely off-the-tee, ranked 33rd in this strokes gained metric, gives Thomas a chance to end his two-year win drought.

3. Collin Morikawa (+1800) CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS

Collin Morikawa is equipped to dominate the field with everything except his putter. That's fine at Riviera, where even the best putting won't matter if a player can't avoid the rough. Morikawa ranks 15th in strokes gained approaching the green and 21st in strokes gained around the green. 53rd off-the-tee isn't spectacular, but it's good enough to give Morikawa enough confidence to improve on his T6 finish here a year ago.

4. Ludvig Åberg (+2000) CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS

24-year-old Swede Ludvig Åberg has quickly ascended into a dominant talent on the golf course. Åberg doesn't dazzle with any specific strokes gained metrics, but he does rank inside the top 40 for total strokes gained categories. He has a pure swing, while sitting at 11th in longest drives and seventh in total driving efficiency. Åberg is an excellent scrambler and he's gone T47, T30, T9, and second-place in 2024, improving during each appearance. Any more improvements will result in his second outright win on the PGA Tour, following up his lone victory at the 2023 RSM Classic.

5. Sahith Theegala (+3500) CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS

California native Sahith Theegala looked to be in the driver's seat for much of the WM Phoenix Open. However, after the first two rounds, going a combined -13-under-par, Theegala regressed, finishing -2-under-par in each of the final two rounds at TPC Scottsdale. He should bounce back though, ranked 43rd in strokes gained off-the-tee, 34th on approach, and 26th for strokes gained putting. Theegala also wound up T6 at The Genesis Invitational last year, so he's comfortable with this course, which bodes well for his +3500 odds in the outright betting market.

GOLF ODDS

• Looking for Genesis Invitational odds? We got you covered!
• Who will be the winner of the Genesis Invitational? Get the latest odds here
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